Friday, 16 August 2013

Rich's Televisual Ramblings - Ray Donovan

You may well have seen a trailer I put on tumblr for Ray Donovan. That was kind of an
unofficial preview for my third column. Over the last few weeks I’ve been
bombarded by family, friends and colleagues with ideas for my next column. With
that in mind I have a confession to make, I am not up to date on the following shows
Boardwalk Empire, Man Men and Breaking Bad but perhaps worst of all, I have never even watched
an episode of The Wire. These are all
shows that have been suggested to me but I’ve always stated that the principle
of this column was to spotlight shows that aren’t on people’s radar. Ray Donovan is now only seven episodes
in on Showtime in the US and
certainly falls under that category. Ann Biderman, the show’s creator (who is
best known for the movies Primal Fear
and Public Enemies), has flown in the
face of the unfair stereotype that the most engaging TV of today is being
created by those who are young (Biderman is 62) and male (Biderman is called
Ann and therefore a woman) to create some truly engaging television.

Ray Donovan is the
story of a professional “fixer” for a law firm in Hollywood. What does a fixer
do you might ask? A fixer is a trouble shooter for Hollywood agents or lawyers
but not in the most conventional sense. If you represent a married basketball
star that has just had a hooker die in his hotel bed, then a fixer will cover
up the scandal and ensure it never reaches the media. It’s not a pretty job but
someone’s got to do it right? Well in this case that man just happens to be Ray Donovan.

Played by Liev Schrieber (Sabretooth from X-Men Origins:
Wolverine), Ray Donovan, is a man
who’s trying to keep his life together while it slowly falls apart. His
marriage with his wife, Abby (Paula Malcomson), is on the rocks (due in part to
Ray’s infidelity) and his relationship with his children is also becoming
increasingly strained. As if that wasn’t enough, his father, Mickey has just
been released from the prison. Played by Jon Voight (most famous for fathering
Angelina Jolie), Mickey, has a difficult relationship with his son, to say the
least, and topping that list is his son’s involvement in his imprisonment. Jon
Voight chews the scenery in a way that only a great actor with a role he
relishes can do. Mickey is a character full of contradictions, menacing but a
coward, compelling yet repellent. Ray’s brothers Bunchy and Terry don’t have it
any easier either. Bunchy (Dash Mihok), was sexual assaulted by a priest as a
child and this has left him suffering from depression, addiction and with a
child-like disposition. Terry (played by British actor Eddie Marsan) is a
former boxer turned gym owner who is dealing with the degenerative Parkinson’s
disease.

A South-Bostonian through and through, Ray Donovan, is the one child in the Donovan family who has never
allowed himself to be manipulated by his father. Ray even went as far as moving
with his family from the East Coast to the West Coast for a better life and in
attempt to avoid Mickey’s influence. The law firm he works for in Los Angeles
is run in part by his closest friend and mentor Ezra Goldman (Elliott Gould)
with whom he shares a number of deep and dark secrets. Ezra is struggling with
his conscience and his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic. You feel
that at any time whatever secrets he and Ray share, could be revealed and Ray’s
life could collapse like a tower of cards.

Ray Donovan is a
show with a great ensemble class and an array of wonderful supporting actors. Biderman has created a show with two
enormously strong lead characters, Ray and Mickey, and whenever Schreiber or
Voigt are on screen together the feeling is reminiscent of a powder keg ready
to explode. This show, even after seven episodes still has plenty of uncertainty
that leaves the viewer keen for more answers and compels them to watch. One
thing is for certain though, even for a professional fixer there are problems
that even they can’t solve.